How does installation speed differ between stick and unitized aluminum curtain wall systems?

For aluminum façade projects in the Middle East and Central Asia (including Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), installation speed is a critical commercial and scheduling factor. Unitized curtain walls are usually much faster to install on-site because large, pre-assembled modules are hoisted into position and secured. A well-coordinated unitized installation team can install the equivalent of several floors’ worth of façade per day, dramatically shortening scaffold time, crane hours, and the building’s exposure to weather. This speed advantage is especially valuable for high-rise projects in cities such as Abu Dhabi or Istanbul (regional hubs) where on-site labor windows may be restricted by permits or safety constraints.

Stick systems are assembled piece-by-piece on the building: mullions and transoms are erected, glazing installed, and sealant applied sequentially. This process requires more on-site time, more weather-dependent work, and greater skill for sealing and alignment. While stick installation can be phased to match staged construction, it typically extends the façade timeline — often measured in weeks more than an equivalent unitized approach.

However, installation speed must be balanced with logistics: unitized modules require sufficient road access, shipping permits, and crane capacity. In remote Central Asian sites or constrained urban nodes in the Middle East, transportation and lifting constraints can reduce the realistic speed gain. As an aluminum façade manufacturer, we model installation schedules during tender, advising whether unitized modules (faster install but higher up-front logistics) or stick systems (slower but more flexible on-site) better fit a project’s timeline and local constraints.